Cooking oil: which oil for what?

Cooking oil is extracted from oil-bearing fruits, seeds, kernels, or nuts, such as olives, sunflower seeds, cedar nuts, or coconut flesh. Its taste and suitability depend on the raw material and the processing method. In our Oils category, you will therefore find expressive oils for drizzling alongside mild fats that can withstand high-heat frying.

Native, cold-pressed, deodorized: what the terms mean

Native or cold-pressed means: the oil is extracted mechanically without the application of heat and is then filtered at most. This allows it to retain the color, aroma, and taste of its raw material. For example, the black cumin oil from the Ölmühle Solling is pressed at below 40 °C and only filtered. For olive oil, "extra virgin" is the highest quality grade with strict limits for acidity and taste.

Deodorized oils have their odor and inherent taste removed after pressing. In the case of coconut fat and the frying oil from the Ölmühle Solling, this is done using steam. The result is neutral in taste and can withstand high temperatures, making it ideal for fried potatoes, schnitzel, and deep-fried foods.

Cold kitchen, warm kitchen

As a rough rule: the more inherent flavor an oil has, the more it belongs in cold dishes or added to the finished dish at the end. Use extra virgin olive oil, flavored oils, cedar nut oil, and black cumin oil for salad, dips, bread, and as a finish. For frying, baking, and deep-frying, use heat-stable fats like the organic frying oil made from high-oleic sunflowers, native coconut oil, or flavor-neutral coconut fat.

Our oil mills and producers

Extra virgin olive oil from their own groves in Molise comes from Vitelium. The Embratur is harvested early and by hand, and is intensely fruity with notes of tomato, bitterness, and a spicy kick. The White Truffle Oil, based on their own olive oil, with natural truffle aroma and small pieces of Bianchetto truffle, is very popular.

Wajos from Dohr on the Moselle uses extra virgin olive oil from Spain as a base for flavored oils with lemon, basil, garlic, or herbs. Also very popular is Lemon on Olive Oil, which tastes like lemon zest rather than juice. The Roasted Onion Flavored Oil relies on rapeseed oil with a quarter olive oil and tastes like freshly roasted onions.

From Boffzen in the Weser Uplands comes native organic coconut oil, Extra Mild Organic Coconut Fat, Organic Frying Oil, and Organic Black Cumin Oil from the Ölmühle Solling, as well as tasting sets with five oils each. TAIGA Naturkost presses Organic Cedar Nut Oil from Siberian cedar nuts, according to the manufacturer, fresh every week in their own oil mill in the Palatinate. At Fruchtwerker, Koroneiki olives are ground together with oranges on Crete to create Olive Oil & Orange. Lang Weinessig packs organic walnut oil and organic mountain pepper oil from the Wasgau Oil Mill into their gourmet set.

Oils in everyday cooking

A good olive oil with salt on fresh bread is already a small meal. For tomato salad, beans, or grilled vegetables, use a fruity olive oil; for potato salad with a roasted aroma, use a few spoons of roasted onion flavored oil. Drizzle truffle oil over scrambled eggs, puree, or risotto, and lemon oil over fish and asparagus. Cedar nut oil makes lamb's lettuce and pumpkin soup nutty, while black cumin oil seasons hummus, yogurt dips, and warm flatbread. In the pan, you can fry schnitzel and potatoes in coconut fat, vegetable curry in native coconut oil, and for pancakes or banana bread, coconut oil can even replace butter.

For everyday life, three bottles are usually enough: an extra virgin olive oil for salad and bread, a heat-stable fat for the pan, and a flavored or nut oil for an accent. This covers almost everything from Sunday roasts to a quick weeknight salad, and the flavored oil ensures that even simple pasta with Parmesan tastes like more.

Buying and storing oil

• Try it first: Many oils are available in 100 ml bottles; the tasting sets from the Ölmühle Solling contain five 20 ml vials.
• For the pan: Coconut oil and coconut fat come in large jars of 500 or 1000 ml.
• Check the label: Terms like "extra virgin," "cold-pressed," or "deodorized" tell you whether an oil is intended for cold or hot use.
• Light, heat, air: These are the three enemies of every oil. Store the bottles sealed, dark, and cool—never directly next to the stove.
• After opening: Use cold-pressed oils promptly; nut oils are best kept in the refrigerator after opening. Coconut oil alternates between solid and liquid depending on the room temperature.

Our oil categories

Three subcategories help you search. Under Olive Oil, you will find the extra virgin olive oils from Molise and Spain, from the intensely fruity Embratur to lemon oil. Flavored Oils gathers truffle oil, garlic, basil, and roasted onion oil for drizzling. In the Kernel, Nut & Frying Oils section, you will find cedar nut and black cumin oil, coconut oil, coconut fat, and frying oil. You can find the vinegar for your dressing in the Vinegar category.

Order oils online

Whether it's olive oil for salad, truffle oil for the weekend risotto, or coconut fat for fried potatoes: at Leni & Hans, you can order cooking oil online, and your package will be with you in 1–3 days.